Top 10 Science Fair Projects to WOW Your Judges: What are the Top 10 Science Fair Projects?
In this blog post, we are answering the question: What are the top 10 science fair projects?
When your school’s annual science fair is right around the corner, you need a quick but impressive project to stand out and win! In modern times, students are becoming more and more innovative with the knowledge that is applied to competitions such as science fairs.
Science fairs, though they may be daunting, give students the opportunity to apply what they have learned in the research process to create an invention that showcases said research. However, it may be challenging to develop a successful project.
Looking past the classic volcano model and colored plants experiment, there are so many new projects that take someone out of their comfort zone and can sway the judges. In this blog post, we have compiled a list of the top 10 science fair projects you can do for that nerve-wracking competition.
What are the top 10 science fair projects?
10: Invisible Ink
Though it’s not invincible, invisible ink is a quick and easy way to impress your judges at a science fair competition. There are many ways to create invisible ink, one being with lemon juice. To make the ink, you only need the juice of one or two lemons. Lemon juice is a great option because it contains citric acid that weakens the paper fibers, making the message invisible until heat is applied.
Making invisible ink may be a great way for you to learn more about the chemistry behind how certain substances can be used to create a hidden message. You will get the opportunity to research concepts such as acids and bases, chemical reactions, and the properties of different materials. This is a quick science fair project that will surely wow your judges.
9: Investigating the Effects of Acid Rain on Plants
Acid rain may seem like a complex concept, but it is simple and impressive. In this project, you can set up the experiment to measure the effects of acid rain on plant growth by using a simple acid rain solution made up of distilled water and acid. In this science fair project, you can measure plant growth, analyze the soil pH levels, and conduct other additional tests with different concentrations of acid rain water.
This science fair project is a great way for you to learn about environmental science and chemistry concepts, such as acid-base reactions and the impact of pollutants on the environment.
8: Magnetic Slime
Though it may not seem like it, magnetic slime is possible; possibly one of the best science fair projects to wow your judges. Iron Oxide powders added to slime will attract the slime to a neodymium magnet and other powerful magnets.
This science fair project is simple and impressive, just what you need.
7: Water Alarm Project
A water alarm is an essential tool for preventing costly water damage in your home. These alarms work by detecting leaks in vulnerable areas, such as under sinks and near washing machines. By using a water alarm, you can rest assured that you will be alerted to any water-related issues before they turn into major problems, saving you time and money in the long run.
Making a water alarm science fair project is a little more complex, though it will be extremely impressive if you tell your judges that you can single handedly lower their water bills with your science fair project.
6: Rain Alarm
The Rain Alarm science fair project is a straightforward but beneficial tool that automatically senses rain and sets off an alarm. Since water is crucial in everyone’s every day life, it is important to preserve and conserve what we have, hence this project does just that.
You can create a project that sounds an alarm every time it’s raining so the user can go outside and collect and preserve the rainfall.
5: Earthquake Alarm
An earthquake detector or alarm is a system that detects earthquakes and informs people before an earthquake. Natural disasters are surprising and sometimes deadly. It would be impressive to judges if you created an alarm where you could alert their whole family before a major earthquake.
Creating an earthquake alarm can be a fascinating project for students interested in geology, seismology, and engineering. By building an earthquake alarm, you can learn about the science behind earthquakes and how they are measured using seismometers.
5: Building a Wind Turbine
In this project, students can design and build a wind turbine using materials like PVC pipe, blades, a generator, and a tower. Science fair projects that win are the ones that are creatively built and also help the community in some way shape or form.
You can test the efficiency of certain wind turbines by measuring the amount of energy generated by the turbine under different wind conditions. This will not only impress your judges but give them data to look at that led you to your conclusion on the best wind turbine design.
4: Cardboard Water Dispenser
Making a water dispenser from cardboard is an impressive science fair project that you can make to wow your judges at your next science fair competition. Water dispensers are a practical object that people use on a day-to-day basis. A cardboard water dispenser is an eco-friendly way to help reduce plastic waste that you can make at home.
You will need to consider factors such as functionality and durability when creating the dispenser, along with knowing how to utilize different materials, shapes, and sizes to find the most effective design.
3: Making a Solar Cell
This may be a more complex science fair project, but your judges will be WOWed. In this project, you can design and build a cell by using materials like copper wire, copper sheets, and a sheet of glass or plastic. You can then test the efficiency of the solar cell by measuring the voltage and current generated by the cell under different lighting conditions.
Get ready to blow your judges away, because this cell model will give your judges values to quantify your research.
2: Analyzing the Effectiveness of Different Sunscreens
Science fair projects can be as unique as you want them to be. In this project, you can test the effectiveness of different types of sunscreen in protecting against UV rays. You can use UV lights to simulate sun exposure and then apply different types of sunscreen to see how well they protect against UV rays.
This is an impressive science fair project that will make you stand out from the crowd.
1: Sun Tracking Solar Panel
For the final, and in my opinion, the most impressive, science fair project to wow your judges, you can create a sun tracking solar panel. The objective is to create a device that will hold a solar cell (you can make the project that were mentioned in #3) and shift its position and follow the sun in its path. The incoming light must be perpendicular to the panel for electricity generation by solar panels to be at its highest potential.
This science fair project, though it may seem daunting, is probably the most impressive in terms of functionality, durability, usability, and more.
Final Words
Overall, whatever project you end up making will be great, as long as you pour your heart and soul into it. Work on it for as long as possible and go above and beyond, and your judges will be impressed, regardless of the project itself. And so, we leave you with just a few words of luck on your next competition. Remember to keep learning, and have fun.
About Inspirit AI
AI Scholars Live Online is a 10 session (25-hour) program that exposes high school students to fundamental AI concepts and guides them to build a socially impactful project. Taught by our team of graduate students from Stanford, MIT, and more, students receive a personalized learning experience in small groups with a student-teacher ratio of 5:1.
